Speed kills, and the winner of Saturday’s UFC lightweight title fight will master that saying.

In the past two years, champ Frankie Edgar has emerged as one of the fastest and most technically sound fighters in the 155-pound class, arguably the UFC’s deepest in talent. Smaller than many of his opponents, Edgar has overwhelmed them with striking combinations that leave little window for reply.

In an attempted fourth defense of his belt – and only his third opponent in almost two years – Edgar meets another bigger fighter in Benson Henderson, whose smooth striking-to-grappling transitions have leapfrogged him ahead of others since a transition from the defunct WEC to the UFC at the end of 2010.

If Henderson is to win, it’s because he’s managed to use his natural physical gifts – flexibility, length and stamina – to win in key areas of the fight. And if Edgar wins, it’s because he’s done the same thing that’s kept him at the top, and that’s hit-and-move with those fast hands.

Southpaw Henderson hasn’t lost since December 2010’s WEC 53 event, when Anthony Pettis more frequently took the initiative and worked out of a few sticky situations before sealing a unanimous-decision victory with his famed “Showtime” kick. It’s a scenario Henderson has been mostly successfully in staying away from. In victories over Mark Bocek, Jim Miller and Clay Guida under the UFC banner, he was more frequently the aggressor and able to muscle his opponents into bad positions, where he scored points. A lanky frame and powerful legs are the key to his excellence in grappling, and if he can’t finish, he’ll control the fight.

The orthodox-stanced Edgar has but two blemishes on his professional resume – a decision loss to Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 13 and a draw to Maynard at UFC 125. In the latter of those appearances, and a rubber match of sorts at UFC 136, he’s looked very human in the first round of the fight, on both occasions coming razor-close to knockout losses after taking hard punches. But he’s displayed an ability to bounce back that’s second to none – and an even greater gas tank late in fights.

It’s for these reasons that Edgar sits as a slight favorite in betting lines. He’s got more experience with top-tier competition, as well, and momentum from a recent knockout of Maynard in their third meeting. Henderson is as good a challenge as any in the division, and he’s the best it currently has to offer. But where his gifts usually put him ahead of others, Edgar is in a class of his own.

“Rampage” continues to fight disinterest as Bader looks for trophy

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-9 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is hardly able to feign interest in the outcome of a fight with Ryan Bader (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), which serves as UFC 144’s co-main event. The truth is, he doesn’t much care, and he’s said this several times leading into Saturday’s event. More important is the idea of putting on a show for the Japanese fans, whom he holds dear to his heart after becoming a star in the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships.

Jackson blustered his way onto the UFC 144 card when nostalgia overtook him. The trouble is, he’s got a real fight on his hands, and he’s treating it like a tenured postal employee. He’s all too aware that Bader, a collegiate-wrestling standout, plans to take him down. Yet he takes little offense to that prospect, as most fighters with overhanging egos do. Jackson seems caught up in the scenery and what lies next rather than what’s in front of him.

Jackson will come out and fight as he always does. Thankfully, he’s tremendously hard to take down; he isn’t a newbie wrestler himself, after all. Bader will use kicks and jabs to distract him long enough for the takedown, and Jackson will try to close the distance without putting himself at risk to be taken down. It’s a recipe for a slow, tactical fight unless a big punch lands for either fighter.

And when it comes to the future, there’s not much to look at. Before UFC 144, Jackson lost his chance to regain the light-heavyweight title in a fight against current champ Jon Jones, and Bader was blown out by Jones less than a year ago. A win over Jackson could open up the gateway to a top-tier matchup, but as long as the champ remains, Bader sits in limbo.

Oddsmakers give Jackson about a 70 percent chance to win the fight, likely due to his defensive wrestling abilities and heavy hands. Although limited in his attack, he’s devastating in the striking department.

Other main-card bouts

Saturday’s PPV lineup features seven fights instead of the usual five. Rather than adjust the U.S. start time (because of the time difference in Japan), officials simply tacked on a few extra fights to the main card. So prepare for a long night with these additional main-card attractions:

Cheick Kongo (17-6-2 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) vs. Mark Hunt (7-7 MMA, 2-1 UFC): One a gatekeeper, one a journeyman with an impossibly hard chin, this heavyweight bout promises action with two guys who like to strike. Kongo, however, is not one to hang around against heavy-handed opponents, and the patient Hunt is bound to pick him apart if allowed to get in a striking rhythm. It’s more likely, then, that the Frenchman will take the fight to the ground, where he’ll control the fight and rack up points. Hunt’s ground game showed significant improvement in his most recent outing against Ben Rothwell, but as far as he’s gotten, he’s still way behind the game. His best chance is to sprawl and brawl.

Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) vs. Jake Shields (26-6-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC): A tough gig for Akiyama. Not only is he fighting for the first time at welterweight, but he’s dogged by three losses on his recent resume as a middleweight. And on top of that, he’s fighting one of the best submission artists in the division, a grind-you-down, wear-you-out grappler in onetime title challenger Shields. Just good enough at striking to lock up with opponents, Shields should be going for Akiyama’s back, and the Japanese veteran will be sticking and moving. Akiyama probably would have been cut after the third consecutive loss, which came at UFC 133 against Vitor Belfort. But he’s a draw in Japan, and in the UFC’s first trip to the country in 12 years, proven commodities don’t hurt.

Yushin Okami (26-6 MMA, 10-3 UFC) vs. Tim Boetsch (14-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC): One of the most respected and disliked fighters in the middleweight division, Okami’s long-term prospects are dim after his long trip to a title shot led to a one-sided blowout against champ Anderson Silva. But in pairing him with Boetsch, an aggressive, in-your-face kind of fighter, the UFC hopes to avoid the kind of methodical, hesitant performance often seen when he fights. Boetsch stands to get a big-time opponent with a third consecutive win (and his second since dropping to middleweight), and a onetime middleweight challenger is a good start.

Hatsu Hioki (25-4-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) vs. Bart Palaszewski (36-14 MMA, 1-0 UFC): This featherweight matchup narrows the road to the featherweight title. With then-top contender Chad Mendes dispatched by current champ Jose Aldo, the field of eligible 145-pound fighters is down to four: Hioki, Palaszewski, Dustin Poirer and Erik Koch. The winner of Saturday’s main-card bout could meet one of the other two (Poirer will first need to get past Chan Sung Jung at UFC on FUEL TV 3) for a shot at the belt. Not as impressive as billed in his debut, Hioki nonetheless has a decision victory over George Roop on his recent resume. Palaszewski, meanwhile, has a knockout of longtime UFC vet Tyson Griffin.

Anthony Pettis (14-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs. Joe Lauzon (21-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC): Another bout that could provide a ready-made contender. Coming off an upset win at UFC 136 over then-surging Melvin Guillard, Lauzon is poised to cut into the title picture with a win over former WEC champ Pettis, who stumbled in his UFC debut against Clay Guida but regained a bit of momentum with a narrow decision victory over Jeremy Stephens. Jim Miller and Nate Diaz sit on an opposing bracket, and Edson Barboza threatens in the distance. But an impressive performance from the Pettis-Lauzon winner appears poised to fight in a titlep-eliminator bout.

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